Brett Oberholtzer

Oberholtzer opened the year as the No. 3 starter in Houston's rotation, but went 0-6 with a 5.68 ERA before he was subsequently demoted to the minors. For the next month and a half, he flip-flopped ba...

Oberholtzer, a 24-year-old southpaw, opened eyes within the Astros' organization after a successful audition in the starting rotation following the team's trade of Bud Norris. In his first major league start, Oberholzter pitched seven scoreless innings in a win over the Orioles, permitting only three hits (no walks) while striking out six. He went on to record six additional quality starts en route to a 2.76 ERA and 1.10 WHIP overall. His 45:13 K:BB ratio over 71.2 innings was solid enough to give Oberholtzer a likely spot in the Astros' Opening Day rotation.

2013

The 23-year-old Oberholtzer posted passable stats at Double and Triple-A with a 4.39 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across the two levels. His command was much better in 2012 than it was in 2011, lowering his walk rate and improving his K/BB. There is still more work to be done on his game, but with a strong start in Triple-A next year, he could push for a callup in 2013 as part of the Astros' rebuilding rotation.